Benefits of Having a Black Therapist
Darryon C. Spencer, a Black Therapist in Florida, USA
I could give you a long, drawn-out, politically correct, and scientifically backed statement on the benefits of having a black therapist and why representation matters. Instead, I’ll just get straight to the point. We know why representation matters and why there are benefits to having a black therapist. That is if you are a black woman or black man in search of a therapist.
We, as a people, have faced hundreds, maybe thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of years of prejudice, discrimination, judgment, racism, oppression, ostracization, and brutality. I could go into the specific details of our pain, but being that this excerpt is being written for black men and women, I will spare us from having to re-live both the direct as well as the vicarious trauma(s) our people have had to endure.
With that being said, there are reasons why there are benefits to having a black therapist. There are also reasons why black people are in search of black therapists. This can be summed up into two words, comfort and culture.
Black Therapists Can Provide Comfort & Display Cultural Competency
The comfort part can be best explained through this one example. Think of a time when you were walking somewhere. Suddenly, you spot another black person walking in your direction. Although they were a stranger with whom you’d never met, you felt comfortable enough to give them the notorious head nod. You know…the head nod we instinctively give to our fellow black people all the time. Sure, you may feel comfortable doing this to someone of a different race, ethnicity, or cultural background.
But there’s a different, almost indescribable, feeling you experience when that stranger is recognized as, or at least assumed to be, part of your cultural group. How and why this happens has been explained in great detail by various psychologists, neuroscientists, and countless other reputable sources. And to be fair, this experience may be felt across all ethnicities, races, and cultural groups. But right now we’re talking about us black folk. So I’ll stay focused on us rather than bore you with the details of the research.
You Deserve To Feel Comfortable Working With A Black Therapist
To simplify things even further, black men and women want to feel comfortable when showing up to therapy. As a black therapist who provides virtual, online therapy to black people across the state of Florida, it brings me great joy to see my clients show up to therapy comfortably. Whether that be us…
using slang notoriously spoken throughout our black communities
speaking on issues that are well-known as being a part of the black experience
or wearing durags, bonnets, hoodies, or head scarfs, confidently assuming that we will not be negatively scrutinized for doing so
Us, black men and women, have every right to articulate ourselves using slang or dress in loungewear wherever we are. With that being said, I notice most of us choose not to do so due to a lack of comfort. This lack of comfort comes from Western society looking down on people, especially black people, for showing up in ways that the majority within Western society deem to be uncouth and unbecoming.
As a black man who’s received my own individualized support from various therapists throughout my life, I’ve noticed that I too feel comfortable developing a therapeutic relationship with a therapist from within the black community.
Much of the comfortability I speak of comes from us assuming, and typically assuming correctly, that most black people are culturally competent and will understand, as well as empathize with, our mental health issues on a much deeper level than those unfamiliar with our culture.
As a black mental health therapist, I aim to do my part in making sure black men and women, whether you identify as…
Black
African-American
Caribbean-American
Afro-Caribbean
Afro-Latinx
or any other member of the African diaspora
My clients can rest assured and remain confident in my ability to display cultural competency. It also goes without saying that my cultural competency also applies to all people outside of the black race. With that being said, it is important that I focus on my black people for a moment.
Why us Black People Deserve a Black Therapist?
Because we deserve some attention.
We deserve to be seen.
We deserve to be listened to.
We deserve some genuinely nonjudgmental support.
And our pain, hurt, as well as our traumas, deserves to be validated.
These are the benefits of having a black therapist. And this is why…
REPRESENTATION MATTERS.
If you …
are an adult living in the state of Florida
recognize the benefits of having a black therapist
are interested in receiving individual therapy
…feel free to get in contact with me at dcslmhc.com/contact to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation.
I look forward to hearing from you and providing you with the understanding, acceptance, and mental health care you rightfully deserve.
Until then, just remember…
You are worthy of mental wellness and deserving of therapeutic support.
Start Black Therapy in Florida
You deserve mental health support. By providing online black therapy throughout the state of Florida, I have the opportunity to provide you with the guidance and support you deserve to feel seen, heard, and nonjudgementally supported.
To Get Started with Black Therapy in Florida, follow these 3 simple steps:
Meet with a skilled black therapist, Darryon C. Spencer
Attend weekly therapy sessions to get support as a black man or woman.
Other Services Offered by Darryon C. Spencer, LMHC
Darryon C Spencer, LMHC understands that you may be experiencing other mental health concerns. This is why I also provide Therapy for Grief and Loss and Therapy for Burned Out Adults.
Be sure to check out the Blog page to read similar blog posts written by Darryon C. Spencer.